Carmen Suite & Symphony in C by by Mariinsky Ballet
July 15-16, 2011
Metropolitan Opera, New York
Mariinsky (Kirov) Ballet
It is difficult to imagine an artistic legacy closer to the heart of the classical ballet tradition than that of the Mariinsky Ballet, which has reclaimed that tsarist title after decades of being known by its Soviet name, the Kirov. In its 250 years of performing first on St. Petersburg stages and then around the world, the Mariinsky has given the world some of the greatest dancers and choreographers in the history of the art. Lincoln Center Festival and the Metropolitan Opera have joined forces in this return of the Mariinsky Ballet for these dazzling performances, their first Festival appearances in nearly a decade.
Artistic director Valery Gergiev, the dramatically imaginative musical interpreter who conducts many of these performances, is a passionate supporter of Russian music, especially the colorful orchestrations of Rodion Shchedrin. That love is eminently evident in this series, which includes Shchedrin’s full-length ballets Anna Karenina and The Little Humpbacked Horse, both choreographed by Alexei Ratmansky, artist in residence at the American Ballet Theatre and a former director of the Bolshoi Ballet.
The acclaimed dancer Diana Vishneva, who The Washington Post recently called “as profoundly moving as I’ve ever seen,” takes center stage. Appearances by other dancers like the up-and-coming stars Yekaterina Kondaurova and Alina Somova and the majestic, glamorous Ulyana Lopatkina (who has “phrasing like an unhurried angel” —Financial Times) make this a not-to-be-missed balletic experience.
This two-part performance begins with Carmen Suite, an ingenious balletic rendering for strings and percussion of Bizet’s opera that premiered at the Mariinsky in November 2010. The Mariinsky also performs George Balanchine’s intricately beautiful Symphony in C.
Carmen Suite
Composer Georges Bizet (arr. Rodion Shchedrin)
Choreography Alberto Alonso
Production choreography Viktor Barykin
Principal dancers
July 15 Diana Vishneva, Danila Korsuntsev, Konstantin Zverev
July 16 Ulyana Lopatkina, Danila Korsuntsev, Evgeny Ivanchenko
Symphony in C
Composer Georges Bizet
Choreography George Balanchine
Principal dancers
July 15 Viktoria Tereshkina, Andrian Fadeyev, Ulyana Lopatkina, Yevgeny Ivanchenko, Evgenya Obraztsova, Vladimir Shklyarov, Maria Shirinkina, Alexei Timofeyev
July 16 Viktoria Tereshkina, Andrian Fadeyev, Yekaterina Kondaurova, Evgeny Ivanchenko, Yevgenia Obraztsova, Vladimir Shklyarov, Maria Shirinkina, Alexei Timofeyev
Co-presented by Lincoln Center Festival and the Metropolitan Opera
Sberbank is the primary sponsor of the Mariinsky Ballet’s performances at the Metropolitan Opera House. VTB Bank, Sberbank, Yoko Ceschina and Gazprom are the principal partners of the Mariinsky Theatre. White Nights Foundation of America is the North American Sponsor of the Mariinsky Theatre. Additional support provided by Aeroflot.
Venue: Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera
Lincoln Center
New York, New York 10023
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